Write out your story in the sequence you would like it to appear on film to guide you as you shoot. You can also create your own storyboards, or drawings of the shots you would like to take in the order you want to take them and use the storyboards as a guide. If you do not have a specific story in mind but want to put the animal action to music, decide what you want to happen during the music so that you know what shots you need to take with your camera. Keep in mind that you are working with animals and you will probably need to be flexible as far as the shots you are able to get.
Determine if you want the homemade animal movie to take place indoors or outside. You will need lighting inside. Beginning filmmakers can use a work light to light the area, as well as any built-in lighting that the camera may have installed. If you have a digital camera, newer model VHS or 8mm camera, there will be lighting adjustment switches that you can use to get the best picture Test them out to see which settings work best for what you are doing in the locales that you have selected. Your camera manual will be of assistance with your camera lighting controls.
Determine if you have built-in sound on your camera or if you will need a microphone for sound capture. If you are making an animal music video, this will not be a concern because you will add the music during the editing process.
Shoot from a variety of different angles so that when you edit your film it will be visually interesting. With animals, it may be difficult for you to get them to repeat a series of events in order to shoot from different angels, so you need to be the one that changes position in order to get your shot.
Film at a time of day or night when it is quiet and the animals will not be overly distracted. This is especially true if you have a certain story in mind and need to get specific shots. Keep in mind that you may have to film more than one day to get all of the shots you want and you may need extra memory on your digital camera or extra tapes for your VHS, mini VHS, or 8 mm to get all the footage you want.
Consider getting an assistant to help with the animals if you have difficulty while shooting. This can be someone who is not seen on film, but possibly offers treats to get the animals to look in a certain direction, or get them to walk or run a specific distance. Remember that any unintentional shots of the assistant can be edited out later.
Preview all of your footage of the animals prior to editing.
To edit in digital, hook up your camera to your computer using the USB cord and follow the instructions on your computer to upload the video to the location you desire. You will need a video-editing program on your computer, such as Windows Movie Maker, that will allow you to export the video clips from your video file to the software. Use the instructions from your video software to edit the animal video clips in the order that you want them, as well as to add music if you are making an animal music video.
To edit in VHS, mini VHS or 8 mm, you will need to have a VCR hooked up to your television, as well as have a television to watch your tapes. Each camera manual will have instructions on how to edit your footage using these devices. Once you have your movie edited, you can add music or other sounds for your animal video.